I just realized that my trip post from last week didn't show up, must not have clicked send, so here's my abbreviated version.

Had a great stay at the Dolphin last week!

Check in went much faster this time, but they only had the Suite portion of the Executive Suite ready when we arrived around 2:30 but that wasn't a big deal at all. When the standard room was ready we went down to the main desk and have them add it to our room keys, but when we got back too the room they didn't work properly. Took three attempts and trips back and forth for them to get it right. Again, not a big deal but was a little annoying.

As far as the rooms were concerned, they were very nice, but the configuration was different the suite we had two years ago. I think the suite portion was better this time and the room portion was better last time. We're located on the 4th floor and had a nice view of to pool and beach area and could actually see the Tower of Terror. Will try to post photos of the rooms and view in the next few days. The only other issue I had was that the room safe battery was dead when we arrived, but they fixed it when we were at Epcot. Three days later it stopped working again and I had to contact security to get my laptop out.

Other than those few minor issues the stay was wonderful! The staff was great and the pool area was great even though we didn't use it.

DIS SponsorThe Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin is located in the heart of the Walt Disney World Reosrt.

I just realized that my trip post from last week didn't show up, must not have clicked send, so here's my abbreviated version.

Had a great stay at the Dolphin last week!

Check in went much faster this time, but they only had the Suite portion of the Executive Suite ready when we arrived around 2:30 but that wasn't a big deal at all. When the standard room was ready we went down to the main desk and have them add it to our room keys, but when we got back too the room they didn't work properly. Took three attempts and trips back and forth for them to get it right. Again, not a big deal but was a little annoying.

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A very similar thing happened to us when we stayed in a grand suite last summer. We checked in around 2:30 and they told us our room was ready, but only one bedroom of it and gave us a key for that room, so the luggage porter took us up.

When we entered the room there were guys on ladders fixing a vent. Our luggage porter called the front desk and they said the main room should be ready so we went around the corner to that door, but it wasn't ready either, so he called the front desk again. The other bedroom in the suite WAS ready, so in we went. We unloaded all our bags (and we had a lot) from the cart and checked out the room and were about to head down to Picabu when the phone rang.

The maintenance issue in the other bedroom wasn't going to be fixed anytime soon and the luggage porter was on his way back to get us and move us to another suite (4 floors down with a worse view.). So off we went, got to the new suite and it wasn't ready. Bless this guy's heart. He went in and helped them finish cleaning while we stood in the hallway with the luggage cart for almost 20 minutes. It was crazy, but the suite was wonderful once we finally got inside! Ha!

I am going to either apply for the Disney Visa or the Starwood AMEX. If I use it for all groceries, gas, etc over the course of a year, am I more likely to have more value on the Visa to spend towards park tickets or more points on the Amex to spend on hotel nights at the Dolphin? (We won't be accumulating other Starwood hotel stays throughout the year.). Now I use the USAir MC but am tired of being tied to USAir for flights, although I will certainly keep it for the yearly $99 companion flights in case it does end up being the best deal.

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I'm not sure any of us here can give you the answer.

With SPG Amex, you have a $65 annual fee. You earn "points" which can be used for Starwood property stays OR converted to airline miles. The only times you earn "bonus" points is when you stay at Starwood properties or when you refer others who subsequently enroll in the Amex card.

There are 2 different Disney Visas. You can get the one with no annual fee, earning 1% on purchases. The rewards dollars can be used on Disney vacations or the Disney Store. The Premium Disney Visa has a $49 annual fee and earns 2% on Disney purchases, groceries, and at gas stations; 1% on all other purchases. With both Disney Visas, there is also a 6 month 0% interest option on Disney Vacation Packages. Disney Visa also occasionally has "special offers" such as a discount code for WDW being offered 3 days before it's offered to the general public.

In your situation, I tend to think a Disney Visa would be the better option for you, but that is just my opinion!

Good luck with your decision!

Mike - glad your family had a great vacation! Looking forward to photos!

Considering booking w points at some point. What is the cancellation policy when you book w point? I read on a different travel board if you cancel at some Starwood resorts they will charge you several thousand dollars! Has any ever booked w points and then needed to cancel? Or does anyone know the policy really well? Thanks!

Considering booking w points at some point. What is the cancellation policy when you book w point? I read on a different travel board if you cancel at some Starwood resorts they will charge you several thousand dollars! Has any ever booked w points and then needed to cancel? Or does anyone know the policy really well? Thanks!

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I have booked with points and cancelled a few times (always well before the 3 day cutoff)-the points were always refunded to my account with no penalty. Starwood has one of the best cancellation policies imo, 3 days is pretty much the standard (although it can be different in some areas).

With SPG Amex, you have a $65 annual fee. You earn "points" which can be used for Starwood property stays OR converted to airline miles. The only times you earn "bonus" points is when you stay at Starwood properties or when you refer others who subsequently enroll in the Amex card.

There are 2 different Disney Visas. You can get the one with no annual fee, earning 1% on purchases. The rewards dollars can be used on Disney vacations or the Disney Store. The Premium Disney Visa has a $49 annual fee and earns 2% on Disney purchases, groceries, and at gas stations; 1% on all other purchases. With both Disney Visas, there is also a 6 month 0% interest option on Disney Vacation Packages. Disney Visa also occasionally has "special offers" such as a discount code for WDW being offered 3 days before it's offered to the general public.

In your situation, I tend to think a Disney Visa would be the better option for you, but that is just my opinion!

Good luck with your decision!

Mike - glad your family had a great vacation! Looking forward to photos!

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Starwood Amex runs a promo fee free for one year, and you get 10000 points first use, 15000 more if you charge 5k in first 6 months. Dolphin is 10000 points for a free night. I ended up getting two free nights for just using the card and not trying hard to earn points. I would've paid 450 total for those nights. No way would I have earned that with the 1or 2 percent award. When the year was up, I cancelled the card. No fees. And we like the dolphin better anyway.

Starwood Amex runs a promo fee free for one year, and you get 10000 points first use, 15000 more if you charge 5k in first 6 months. Dolphin is 10000 points for a free night. I ended up getting two free nights for just using the card and not trying hard to earn points. I would've paid 450 total for those nights. No way would I have earned that with the 1or 2 percent award. When the year was up, I cancelled the card. No fees. And we like the dolphin better anyway.

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Thanks for sharing your experience. Do the free points nights need to be booked under a separate type/level/category of booking? In other words, if I made a regular reservation now using the teacher rate, and come February had enough points for a few free nights, can they be redeemed at the time of check in/Check out (that seems way too good to be true), could I alter the reservation a month or so ahead of time, or does it need to be originally booked with points? I guess I am asking how far in advance of a stay would I realistically need to have these points accumulated?

Thanks for sharing your experience. Do the free points nights need to be booked under a separate type/level/category of booking? In other words, if I made a regular reservation now using the teacher rate, and come February had enough points for a few free nights, can they be redeemed at the time of check in/Check out (that seems way too good to be true), could I alter the reservation a month or so ahead of time, or does it need to be originally booked with points? I guess I am asking how far in advance of a stay would I realistically need to have these points accumulated?

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I suppose you could call in advance to modify the reservation. I wouldn't risk waiting until you check in/out, some nights are blocked for point redemption.

I had enough points for 1 night of my 4 night trip this coming August. I booked two separate reservations, one cash for 3 nights & one points for the final night. They told me upon checkin I could get them to combine the reservations so I didn't have to potentially switch rooms.

I suppose you could call in advance to modify the reservation. I wouldn't risk waiting until you check in/out, some nights are blocked for point redemption.

I had enough points for 1 night of my 4 night trip this coming August. I booked two separate reservations, one cash for 3 nights & one points for the final night. They told me upon checkin I could get them to combine the reservations so I didn't have to potentially switch rooms.

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I ended up using the points on two different ressies. First night I had all the points when I reserved, and the second night the points would be hitting my account a week before my trip. You do need to book as a point stay.

Just booked our trip at Dolphin for 6/6/14-6/14/14. 4 rooms standard view, 1 AAA $215 and 3 w/teacher rates at $209. So excited because up until this week the rates were $279, first time I checked this week and it was down to $239. Called Dolphin direct and got the discounts. I will continue to watch for cheaper rates but at least I know we are staying because this rate is already within budget. OMG, so excited for our first stay there, I just had to share. We have stayed at BCV so we know how awesome Epcot area resorts are!!!! 330 days

Just booked our trip at Dolphin for 6/6/14-6/14/14. 4 rooms standard view, 1 AAA $215 and 3 w/teacher rates at $209. So excited because up until this week the rates were $279, first time I checked this week and it was down to $239. Called Dolphin direct and got the discounts. I will continue to watch for cheaper rates but at least I know we are staying because this rate is already within budget. OMG, so excited for our first stay there, I just had to share. We have stayed at BCV so we know how awesome Epcot area resorts are!!!! 330 days

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I guarantee you'll get it for less than that by the time it's all said and done. This past trip (June), it took until January for the rates to drop, but they finally did. You will definitely get those standard rooms for under $200 by the time next June rolls around. I'll be in the World for your exact dates next June (well, 6/5 - 6/15), but I'm hoping to rent a 1 BR villa instead at BW. Gotta love the Epcots resorts area!

Just booked our trip at Dolphin for 6/6/14-6/14/14. 4 rooms standard view, 1 AAA $215 and 3 w/teacher rates at $209. So excited because up until this week the rates were $279, first time I checked this week and it was down to $239. Called Dolphin direct and got the discounts. I will continue to watch for cheaper rates but at least I know we are staying because this rate is already within budget. OMG, so excited for our first stay there, I just had to share. We have stayed at BCV so we know how awesome Epcot area resorts are!!!! 330 days

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Was that $215 including tax or resort fee? I need to call because the website has it at like $320 with tax and resort fee for our march trip. This is at the Swan

I guarantee you'll get it for less than that by the time it's all said and done. This past trip (June), it took until January for the rates to drop, but they finally did. You will definitely get those standard rooms for under $200 by the time next June rolls around. I'll be in the World for your exact dates next June (well, 6/5 - 6/15), but I'm hoping to rent a 1 BR villa instead at BW. Gotta love the Epcots resorts area!

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That was exactly what we experienced. We booked our executive suite in late January for $400 (teacher discount) and prices didn't drop until March. Ended up getting it for $369 which is where it stayed because all the executive suites were booked. Actually was quoted $352.50 once, but by the time my brother called, a few hours later, that price was no longer available.

Just booked our trip at Dolphin for 6/6/14-6/14/14. 4 rooms standard view, 1 AAA $215 and 3 w/teacher rates at $209. So excited because up until this week the rates were $279, first time I checked this week and it was down to $239. Called Dolphin direct and got the discounts. I will continue to watch for cheaper rates but at least I know we are staying because this rate is already within budget. OMG, so excited for our first stay there, I just had to share. We have stayed at BCV so we know how awesome Epcot area resorts are!!!! 330 days

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Congrats on booking Shula. Like Music City Mama stated prices will likely drop after January, not to say they won't before then!

Did you look into any of the suites? If you are going with family you might want to look into them as an option. The one or two bedroom Executive suites actually don't run much more and can actually run cheaper than the standard rooms and you only pay one resort fee instead of two. Honestly, if we are traveling with 5 or more people, I have trouble seeing us go any other way.

Glad to hear the price update, just checked my May 2014 dates, they did drop a bit but I think they are still pretty high, more like what I paid for Easter week 2012 (my last trip). I'll keep watching a few more months before I book.

Not sure if this is the right place or if someone knows the answer to this...

Looking at staying at Swan since 2014 rates at BC/YC are WAY higher than I expected.

Can I sign up for a Starwood card under my name and then get a card under my business name (I have an LLC with a valid EIN) to take advantage of the 10K points on each card and then use both of them for the same stay? I'll happily call to get my reservations linked so we don't have to move rooms.

That's over my dates! But I think it only saves me $10 a night over the rate I got. I hoping for an upgrade as I'm a SPG member.

Going to investigate..

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Be careful. I got a rate or $149, but it has a one night deposit that is refundable up to a few days before checkin. I always like to make sure my reservations are refundable, just in case. The $139 rate that PP mentioned has a one night NON REFUNDABLE deposit. Just so you know. I preferred to pay the extra $10 for peace of mind.

Not sure if this is the right place or if someone knows the answer to this...

Looking at staying at Swan since 2014 rates at BC/YC are WAY higher than I expected.

Can I sign up for a Starwood card under my name and then get a card under my business name (I have an LLC with a valid EIN) to take advantage of the 10K points on each card and then use both of them for the same stay? I'll happily call to get my reservations linked so we don't have to move rooms.

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Yes, DH and I did this last year. We each signed up for a SPG Amex. During the application process, you'll just note which SPG account to assign pints. It was very easy. We also got his dad to sign up too and give us his points (we provided their room too). Wish we could do it again for our 2014 trip